Lisbon Portugal for Under 5 Euros a Day

5 Euros (USD 6.70) won't buy much these days. In some places, you might not even be able to get a cup of coffee for you and your partner for this much. But depending on where you travel, for example, Lisbon Portugal, 5 Euros can actually stretch a lot.

Visit Lisbon on a Budget

You don't need to go to an extremely cheap destination to make the most of your money.

But you do need to know how to maximize your bucks and understand that the most costly things don't necessarily make for the best moments.

You can definitely enjoy fun experiences on a budget, as long as you know where to look!

Suggested Lisbon Portugal Tours

Lisbon Card - Keep to the budget with the Lisbon Card. It includes free access to 23 city museums. The card also doubles as an unlimited ticket for public transport. Starting at on $21.

Luz Stadium Tour - For only $16.11 USD take a 2-hour tour of the Luz Stadium and also visit the museum to learn about SL Benfica.

Lisbon Portugal under 5 Euros

How to Travel Lisbon on a Budget

Lisbon is not an expensive capital city when compared to the rest of Western Europe and, apart from roaming it's picturesque streets and marveling at the typical buildings (which you can do for free!) there are many tasty, exciting, culturally enriching and plain fun things to do… for 5 Euros or less!

Here are some tips for you to enjoy Lisbon as locals would, without spoiling your travel budget.

Lisbon During the Day:

1. Cross the River on a local ferry boat

Bordering the South of Lisbon, the Tagus River is one of the biggest rivers in Europe - in fact, like a famous Portuguese poet wrote once, "it is a river that aspires to be a sea"! It is one of the most iconic elements of the Lisbon landscape.

Lisbon Portugal

Many people that work in Lisbon live in the suburban cities on the other side of the river, and cross into downtown everyday by boat.

Why take an expensive boat cruise when you can actually cross to the other side of the Tagus for only €1.20 each way?

Where: Go to Terreiro do Paco and get into the ferry terminal right in front of the famous Praca do Comercio square. Enjoy the ride and explore "the other side" that is also part of the life of Lisbon people, way beyond the touristic experience. Metro Terreiro do Paco.

2. Treat yourself to a famous pastel de nata

If there is something Portuguese people love (and do well!) that is pastries.

Although most tourists go after the popular "Pastel de Belem" (custard tart) exactly where these pastries where originally created, Belem itself, the truth is that they are good pretty much all over the city.

Treat Yourself to pastel de nata

As a mid morning snack, I'd recommend a visit to the charming Confeitaria Nacional, where a pastel de nata and a latte can be enjoyed for €2.3.

The setting is reminiscent of a scene from the last century and I can assure you the ambience is more relaxed than the one you're likely to find in Belem, where tourists make insane queues to get hot cakes. www.confeitarianacional.com

4. Take a stroll with warm roasted chestnuts

During Autumn and Winter, the streets of downtown Lisbon are populated with roasted chestnut vending carts that make for the warmest and nicest treat for the cold weather.

Take a stroll for chestnuts

The chestnuts are tasty, yes, but what makes the whole experience charming is eating them while roaming around the streets of Baixa Chiado and Rossio, people watching and marveling at the details around.

12 heart warming chestnuts roasted on the spot cost €2.

Where: everywhere in downtown Lisbon during colder months.

5. Sip a cappuccino with the best view of Lisbon

Once you're on top of the hill and, perhaps after you visit Sao Jorge's Castle, it's time to sit down and relax.

Sip a cappuccino

You can do so while sipping a frothy cappuccino in what year after year I have come to realize is, quite probably, one of the best views over Lisbon: Chapito a Mesa, a restaurant inside an original arts and circus school called Chapito.

The restaurant is not cheap at all for meal times, but it is still affordable for an afternoon coffee for about a couple of euros.

Also, the view is best enjoyed during the day, and as the sun goes down over the building rooftops, the river and the boats passing by. http://chapito.org

Splurge Activities in Lisbon Portugal

Lisbon Champagne Tour - Splurge with the Lisbon champagne and sailing tour. Champagne and beer with snacks included as you take in the city views.

Sintra, Cascais, and Estoril: Full-Day Tour from Lisbon - Get out of Lisbon and visit the nearby sites starting in Pena Park. The visit the center of Sintra and the National Palace. Continue with a drive to see the Natural Park, palaces of Quinta da Regaleira, Seteais, and Monserrate. The cliffs at Roca Cape and finally the stylish town of Cascais.

Arrábida Kayak Tour from Lisbon - For something more adventurous, take a day tour kayaking in Arrábida Natural Park to explore caves and inlets and a secluded picnic on the beach. Later, take a tour of the amazing Sesimbra castle.

Lisbon on an electric bike - 2.5-hour electric bike tour of the Alfama, Mouraria and Graça and 7 Hills of Lisbon.” Don't worry, it's easy on an electric bike, you'll put out minimum effort while exploring in a unique way.

During the Evening:

6. An alternative night at the movies, in Cinemateca Portuguesa

The Cinemateca is the national museum of film. Every month, different programs are presented, including national and international movies from all times.

Go to a show

Not only there tends to be a beautiful selection of movies (and film related exhibitions), the most expensive tickets will only set you back by €3.20 (cheaper for film students and members).

See the program here: http://www.cinemateca.pt/

Where: Rua Barata Salgueiro, 39. Metro Restauradores.

7. Get cultural… if you're 30 years old or younger!

If you're into other cultural programs apart from film, Culturgest might be the place to look for! Conferences, art exhibitions, theatre, dance and music are part of their daily program.

Check out Culturgest

People under 30 years only pay €5.

No matter what the standard price of the show might be that's all you pay. Visit www.culturgest.pt for more info.

8. Drink beer in an naughty setting

In the past, this place used to be a brothel that welcomed sailors arriving to Lisbon in search of comfort and human touch.

Now-a-days, after a glam revamp, Pensao Amor (that translates into Love Inn) caters to a hip clientele that finds in this alternative setting a cool place to hang out.

Drinks are expensive but you can still have a draft beer ("imperial") for €4.

This might be twice as much as in neighboring bars, but the red light ambience and novelty are paid for and, not only sometimes they have live music, there's also an erotic library and a naughty sex gift shop on site. www.pensaoamor.pt

Where: Rua do Alecrim, 19. Metro Cais do Sodre.

9. Bairro Alto: where the streets are the venue!

You know nothing about Lisbon's nightlife until you visit Bairro Alro. Bars, pubs, restaurants and any other establishment that serves drinks line up in the narrow streets of this typical neighborhood of Old Lisbon.

The streets are the attraction on Bairro Alto

Here, no one really cares about what bar you're going to, because the streets are the venue and that's where everyone hangs out, mixes, drinks and parties.

Beer goes for as little as 1.5 euros, just check out the boards usually placed outside the cheapest bars.

10. Fado, the sound of Lisbon, Portugal

Fado is the most typical music genre of Portugal and thoroughly enjoyed in its live form by many tourists visiting Lisbon, Portugal.

No wonder that fancy restaurants have found that set dinners with live Fado shows are a great source of income.

But you don't need to spend a lot of money on such places, where you're more likely to be immersed in a touristic atmosphere, rather than on a down to earth fado night.

The latest can be found in small restaurants and bars that we call "tascas" and there are plenty of those in the streets of the Alfama neighborhood.

Where: Just walk around and look inside any place where live music comes from.

Fado singers and musicians won't be looking as fancy, places will be cramped, but food and music will still be amazing and I can assure you that, if there is a "real deal", this is probably it.

5 euros won't buy you dinner, but it's good enough for a Portuguese glass of wine, that combines with Fado to perfection.

I hope these recommendations are useful for your next trip to Lisbon, Portugal. Do you have any tips?

While it's normal that travelers do touristic activities, it is a great complement to the local experience to explore beyond the surface and, even better, if you don't need to splurge while at it!

Guest post by Zara Quiroga. Zara and Ashray (aka A&Z) run the travel website Backpack ME (link to: http://www.bkpk.me), where they share tips and inspirational stories in the shape of posts, photos and videos. With their different cultural background (Portuguese and Indan), they want to inspire anyone to travel around the world, no matter where they come from.

By Why I'm Saving Spain and Portugal June 18, 2013 - 11:42 pm

By Fil Resendes June 18, 2013 - 2:30 pm

Don’t forget the famous Portuguese Cherry Brandy (called Ginjinha). For 1 euro, you can have a shot of this delicious drink. For 7.50 euros to 10 euros, you can also take a bottle of it home. The best part is all the wonderful cherries at the bottom of the bottle. But be careful… all you need is 2-3 shots and a couple of cherries – it hits you fast!

By Allen May 1, 2013 - 7:40 am

Hello , Such a nice post zara..!!Lisbon is really a beautiful destination . We were there last year in June and July. You memorized me once again all the beautiful time I spent there. We were so excited during that period. All frames of lisbon were awesome, like their very narrow streets , beaches and the core cafes with mesmerized view.And you are right streets are like venue.I would love to go there once again. Thanks

By August Samora March 12, 2013 - 2:14 pm

By Zara @ Backpack ME March 12, 2013 - 12:12 am

Hey guys!

Thanks for allowing me to share these tips about traveling to my country.

I feel many travelers leave Portugal out when going around Europe (perhaps ’cause we’re in the corner..) but I hope increasingly people will notice Portugal and all the great things we’ve got. On top of everything, it’s a pretty affordable country compared to central Europe.. so double bonus! 😉

You are right Zara, I think too many people overlook Portugal. With articles like this and the word getting out, more people are going to start coming for sure. I wish we had more time there last year when we visited for a conference.

By Casey Mae Moore March 10, 2013 - 3:54 am

By Sam March 9, 2013 - 12:55 pm

These are some great tips! I visited Lisbon last December, and it really surprised me how economical a city it is, especially for western Europe. It felt more like some Eastern European cities, like Budapest in terms of its style and the fact that things really aren’t that expensive.